2009 Subaru Legacy
by Jim Prueter -12/2008

Subaru’s premium sedan

First introduced almost two decades ago, Subaru’s longest-running nameplate is generally unknown and ignored by mid-sized sedan buyers. Yet, for devoted Subaru loyalists, it’s hard to imagine driving anything else.

Subaru has also been a favorite choice in snow-belt regions of the country, thanks to standard all-wheel drive on all nameplates. Subaru will sell about 65,000 Legacys this year. Compare that with competitors like Toyota Camry’s 450,000, Honda Accord’s 385,000 and Nissan Altima’s 275,000.

Still, the Subaru Legacy stands out in ways the others cannot. It comes well-equipped with standard all-wheel drive, offers plenty of power if you skip the base 2.5-liter engine, enjoys an excellent reputation for build quality and repair reliability and features handling we’d typically expect to only find in dedicated and much more expensive sport sedans.

What we didn’t like about the Legacy is its skimpy backseat and trunk space, sub-par fuel economy (thanks in part to its all-wheel drive) and dated four-speed automatic transmission.

The 2009 model Legacy remains relatively unchanged after a mild facelift for 2008. It is offered as only a four-door sedan with the wagon body style discontinued. Still, seven trim levels, four transmissions and three engines are offered. Horsepower ranges from 175 up to 245. Base prices start at $20,795 and go up to $34,595. Most models are well equipped with few available options.

Subaru provided us with a top-of-the-line 2.5GT spec B powered by the 243-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual shifting transmission. Options included Sirius satellite radio and trunk cargo net. List price was $35,780.

Standard equipment on our test vehicle included 18-inch alloy wheels, eight-way power driver’s seat, leather trimmed upholstery with fabric inserts, standard GPS navigation system, dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and outside mirrors, windshield wiper de-icer, Harmon Kardon premium audio system with nine speakers, power windows, locks and mirrors and power moonroof.

Outside, Legacy takes on more of a European style with taunt bodylines and sheet metal that looks stretched, unlike Accord and Camry. But the styling is by no means a standout and even bears quirky features like a chunky hood scoop, round fog lights in square holes and a funky rear spoiler on some models.

Inside we found the materials and fit and finish to be excellent. Front seats are comfortable with ample room. But buyers looking for a family sedan with a large back seat would be advised to skip the Legacy; it’s tight with two average-sized adults.

The dash is visually attractive, with the center stack canted toward the driver. Fake wood appliqué looks convincing; most surfaces are padded and soft to the touch. Our model featured a knob on the center console just below the shift lever for Subaru’s SI-Drive (Super Intelligent Drive) system. The system essentially allows the driver to choose from among three modes: intelligent, sport and sport sharp. It alters the throttle for more responsiveness under acceleration or reduces power for increased fuel efficiency. In sport sharp, the engine stays in gear longer and acceleration is noticeably quickened. A graphic readout at the bottom of the speedometer shows which system is in play.

It seemed to work as indicated, but we were annoyed that the system automatically reset to intelligent each time we stopped and started the engine.

While we thought the Harmon Kardon audio system sounded terrific, tuning the stations is maddening because there’s a four-way toggle instead of a channel selector knob. Perhaps it’s learnable if you own the vehicle, but we were still working on it after a week of testing.

Legacy’s all-wheel-drive road handling shone through every time we took it around curves and our favorite twisty mountain road for testing. Our only complaint was a harsher ride than we expected, with road imperfections and bumps transferring back through to the occupants at times. Steering is quick and precise, brakes excellent, but road noise is more than expected.

We didn’t try the all-wheel drive off road or on snowy surfaces.

Both stability and traction control are now standard on 2.5i Legacy models and was already standard on six-cylinder and most turbocharged models. All Subaru models feature dual-stage deployment, advanced front airbag systems, front-seat side-impact air bags for thorax-area protection, and side curtain airbags.

Legacy earned the highest five-star rating in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests (front and side). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Legacy it’s top rating (Good) and named it a Top Safety Pick.

While Legacy’s styling won’t stand out in a crowd like an Audi, Infiniti or BMW, its all-wheel driving dynamics, comfortable interior, safety features and reliability are sure to reward its owners. Yet with a sticker price of over $35,000 for our test Legacy, we thought it too expensive, with pricing in the same neighborhood as Infiniti G37, BMW 328i, Cadillac CTS and Lexus ES sedans.